We are highly educated and licensed artists, movers, and educators that are transforming the role of movement in physical education programs and academic environments.   Through custom curriculum design, professional development for teachers  and workshops/classes for kids and adults, we encourage self-awareness, spatial awareness and receptivity.

All of our teachers/facilitators have advanced degrees in education and/or the arts and are state-licensed in their fields of teaching.  All curriculum design and professional development courses are custom made for each community based on its needs and desires for positive change. 

Children begin to form neurological pathways that affect how they absorb and apply information at a very early age.  How children view themselves, their bodies and each other shapes how their brains respond to interaction and how receptive and responsive they can be to the actual (not imagined) challenges of a current situation.  Based on the works of Irmgard Bartinieff, Feldenkrais, Joseph Pilates, yoga and current modern dance and theater techniques, Bright Bodies, Bright Minds uses movement to facilitate a calm but energized body and mind, all while having fun.  Students emerge with a clearer mind and body, allowing for less anxiety, more agility, and a greater ability to form positive social relationships.  In the context of a school, this capacity increases their ability to learn. 

All things brilliant come out of a state of play. After a 14-year career in the performing arts that included 6 years on stage with Cirque du Soleil and 5 years on tour with Diavolo Dance Theater, I began looking into teaching dance in school settings.   I ended up going back to school for an M.Ed and based on my background, began teaching Physical Education while revising and writing PE curriculum to include dance, gymnastics, mindfulness and yoga.  It became clear to me that the ways in which we teach our children (and adults) to move is not only inefficient and at times dangerous, but also misses an opportunity to teach and anchor social emotional skills.  I began to apply the training I'd received in dance and theater to my PE classes, while also infiltrating different improvisation games that are often used to bind together a cast of a show backstage. The results were immediate and visible: kids became more aware of each other, they became less scared to try new things, and they were more able to assess a situation before responding. The physical training/play teaches agility and spatial awareness, and the ways in which these activities are organized build social-emotional competencies.  And the best part is that it all feels like fun.